


dissolve

by farseandfolly



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Soulmate AU, makoharu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 07:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9424700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farseandfolly/pseuds/farseandfolly
Summary: It's not supposed to be like this, and Makoto knows it.They've discussed it several times before, as best friends should, lying in bed side by side, fingers intertwined and whispers hushed. It was a one sided conversation, Haru wasted no time in expressing his distaste at being Joined with such an arrogant bastard such as Matsuoka, while Makoto lay trying to drown his insecurities deep into his gut.Soulmate AU in which soulmates are 'Joined' through an invisible rope, of sorts.





	

It's not supposed to be like this, and Makoto knows it.

They've discussed it several times before, as best friends should, lying in bed side by side, fingers intertwined and whispers hushed. It was a one sided conversation, Haru wasted no time in expressing his distaste at being Joined with such an arrogant bastard such as Matsuoka, while Makoto lay trying to drown his insecurities deep into his gut.

"I'm telling you, this is stupid. Any universe that Joins me with someone like  _Matsuoka_ is a universe I'd rather forget about altogether," 

"I mean, it's not like he's  _entirely_  bad," 

The reassurance is empty and both of them know it. 

"Given the other option I should've gotten, he's the worst I could possibly get," 

"You could've gotten Kisumi," 

The conversation turned lighthearted then, whispers dissolving into light and breathy laughter, the best kind, the atmosphere cradling him and putting his worries at rest. 

-

 

 

Rin Matsuoka, age fourteen. An overbearing presence born from snide remarks and ambition as fiery as his hair, leaking from the seams which held him together. 

Makoto is certain he hates him. 

He's like a hurricane, barrelling through the sky during the most inconvenient of times, disturbing what was once peaceful and never asked to be disturbed in the first place. 

It's strange, because hatred is a feeling uncharted to Makoto; its' waters unexplored and its' depths undiscovered. His mother, forever optimistic and Joined happily with his equally optimistic father, writes his feelings off as 'competitive rivalry' - Rin's freestyle times are some of the best in their division - and encourages him to train harder. 

It's a frustrating feeling to have your parents not understand you.  

 Their sleepovers are more frequent now, discussions more deep and prying, the word 'secret' an unimaginable concept. Their legs have become more tangled, hands held tighter as Haru ponders the possibility of being Joined to more than one person. 

"I'd rather be Joined to just you than to you and Rin," Makoto whispers. 

"Well, Rin and I have been Joined already, so it's either you get me with Rin or not at all," 

The silence is deafening and Makoto feels sick. 

"I don't want to be." 

Haru sits up then, his frown highlighted by the moonlight fractured through the curtains, his eyes a dark blue and his mouth pressed into a thin line. 

"Makoto, stop being difficult." 

"Stop talking about this as if it could actually happen." 

Silence fills the room again as the boys stare at each other with hardening gazes, the tension only broken when Makoto turns his body and faces the wall, a silent 'goodnight' leaving his lips and dissolving into the air. 

They sleep apart that night. 

- 

 

It's a Tuesday afternoon when Rin saunters through the classroom door, all smirks and laughter and warranted spunk, making his way to the corner of the room and pulling up a chair by where Haru and Makoto ate lunch. Makoto offers a smile and Haru a nod, as Rin launches into a one sided rant about how annoying the graphics in his new video game are, and how the storyline hadn't improved much since the previous release. Makoto is too tired and uninterested to offer any input and Haru, as usual, responds with varying levels of grunts and nods. 

Makoto hates this new routine. 

The Cojoined and Makoto, the trio to end all trios. 

He eats slowly, wordlessly exchanging some of his mackerel for Haru's unwanted rice when Rin asks Haru if he wants to come over on Friday night and Haru, without offering so much as even a glance in Makoto's direction, says he'll think about it. 

Makoto excuses himself to go to the bathroom. 

 

- 

Single player Mario Kart isn't nearly as exciting as multiplayer. 

It's a depressing discovery that Makoto makes on the Friday of the same week as he stares at Yoshi jumping up and down excitedly on his bike through screen, the golden 1st place flashing next to his name.  

He wonders what Haru would make of his achievement, and reaches for his phone, before remembering that Haru is most likely over by Rin's house, and is probably experiencing the thrill of multiplayer Mario Kart right now. 

Maybe he should go to bed. 

He sighs, rubbing his eyes as he turns off the TV and makes his way to his bedroom, his head full and his body empty as he climbs into his bed and slips under the comforters, eyes focused on the ceiling.

He doesn't even want to be Joined anymore, to be matched with anyone at all, because the only person he really cared about being Joined with is Haruka and the Universe has managed to take that away from him. 

 It's harder to fall asleep when there's no one sleeping next to you. 

- 

It feels as though it's past midnight when the figure appears at the window, wrenching it open and sliding through with a familiar fluidity that could only belong to Haruka Nanase. Makoto doesn't move, spare the gaze that shifts from it's position on the ceiling to Haru, who wastes no time in crossing the room to the bed and climbing and clambering until he is lying on top of Makoto, resting his head on his chin as he regards him with searching eyes. Makoto swallows, there is surely nothing to be nervous about, and meets Haru's gaze, brows furrowed, praying that his features wouldn't betray him and he wouldn't burst into frustrated tears.

"Aren't you supposed to be by Rin?" 

Haru's reaction is delayed, and, more importantly, unexpected, as he sighs and presses a soft kiss to Makoto's lips. It lasts a heartbeat, and he pulls away before Makoto catches his face in his hands and kisses him again, this time more heated and desperate. They are clumsy and inexperienced, tongues slipping together awkwardly, teeth clashing and triggering bursts of laughter. 

"Makoto," Haru whispers, in between soft kisses, "Who the fuck is Rin?"

 

 

 - 

 

"How does it feel to be Joined?" 

They are seventeen then, all hormonal, angst ridden and slightly less dramatic, their lives taken over by studying, swimming and the occasional sex. 

The question comes out of the blue, and Haru sighs. 

"I really wish you wouldn't ask that while I'm trying to get you to fuck me," 

"Oops, my bad. Please continue," 

Haru rolls his eyes, sitting back on Makoto's lap and regarding him with a deep blue, furrowed stare. His cotton shirt is askew, the deep collar revealing too much of his pale collarbone and not helping in any way to quell Makoto's growing boner. 

"Emotionally, or physically?" 

"Both." 

"Well," Haru mutters, trailing his finger down Makoto's chest, following the movements with his gaze before looking up sharply, "Rin's a little bitch," 

"Worse than when we were younger?" 

"No, less whiny. Not as much of a brat seeing as he's constantly pining after Yamazaki," 

"Ah, how is that going?"

"They're absolutely disgusting."

An amused expression crosses Makoto's face as a light laugh leaves his lips.

"And physically?" 

Haru pauses, his fingers making lighter movements now, running down Makoto's chest, before he sighs and lies directly on top of him, cocooning himself until he is neatly slotted with his head nestled under Makoto's neck.

"You know when we used to do that stupid thing, where we would tie a rope around each of our wrists and run around with it in the backyard?"

"Until you'd fall on top of me and I'd start to cry?"

"Yeah," Haru smiled fondly, "It feels like that. When I first met Rin, I felt a pull at my arm, and so did he. There's this invisible rope joining me and Rin, and if we're too far apart, I feel this tug at the nape of my neck." 

"Does it hurt?" 

"No. Just annoying." 

 Makoto nods, trailing his hands through Haru's hair, twirling the strands onto his fingers.

It's not supposed to be like this, and Makoto knows it.

They've discussed it several times before, as best friends should, lying in bed side by side, fingers intertwined and whispers hushed. It's now a two sided conversation, Haru wasting no time in expressing his distaste at being Joined with such an arrogant bastard such as Matsuoka, while Makoto interjects with lighthearted jokes and soft kisses until Haru's woes are soon forgotten as they dissolve into each other. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> long time no see?  
> I'm trying to work on properly developing ideas, so my stories don't turn to shit, so it's been longer than usual.  
> I hope everyone had a happy holidays and new year!  
> Any feedback/comments would be appreciated, thanks for reading :)


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